Fort Pierce - Wednesday February 15, 2023: 'Space Songs' is a musical that injects new life into familiar melodies with refreshing and fun new lyrics about the universe around us.
It is a production of Indian River State College and Jon Bell, Associate Professor of Astronomy at IRSC, the Director of the college's Hallstrom Planetarium, and the author of the new lyrics.
"I suppose you could consider me the “Weird Al Yankovic” of space songs," says Bell. "I am essentially plundering the treasury of great music that is in the public domain, such as the Habanera or Toreador pieces from Bizet’s Carmen, or music from other operas, and of course, a lot of folk songs and marches – Lili Burlero, Little Brown Jug, the Army’s Caisson song, Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever, My Grandfather’s Clock, Waltzing Matilda ... I just write new astronomy or space lyrics for them."
The musical is performed inside the Planetarium, with a spectacular display, in sync with the new lyrics of each song, projected onto the 40-foot domed ceiling above.
"There are a lot of songs out there that you think are about astronomy," explains Bell, "but they’re really mostly about romance, like Fly Me to the Moon." He re-purposes it though as in:
- "Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars; Let me see what Spring is like on Jupiter and Mars. In other words – send a probe! In other words, send a spacecraft!
"Then the rest of the song talks about robotic probes in the solar system", he says.
Bell's lyrics are "mnemonic in nature." That makes them easier to remember. For example these lyrics, written to the tune of Lili Burlerlo.
- "A telescope built in the year Sixteen Nine Gave Galileo a view simply divine! The moons of great Jove (Jupiter) were laid out on display, the phases of Venus, the moon rough and gray!'"
The lyrics can also be inspirational as in these written to the tune of Waltzing Matilda.
- "Stars shine at nighttime, all through the nighttime, stars shine at nighttime to show us the way; when you’re lost, in the dark, and you don’t know which way to go, stars shine at nighttime to show you the way."
The next performances of 'Space Songs' at the Hallstrom Planetarium are slated for Friday February 24 and Saturday February 25. An encore performance will be held on Friday March 10 and Saturday March 11.
Join science teachers, students and the rest of the audience in singing along to these outer space songs, which (if your a student) should be easy to remember during your next big science exam. Use music to master the subjects!
Tickets are only $5 and can be purchased online at: irsc.edu, in person at the IRSC Box Office, or by phone 30 minutes prior to showtime, subject to availability. Visa, Discover, American Express and Mastercard are accepted. Call 772-462-4750 or 1-800-220-9915 for additional ticket details.
Planetarium shows are recommended for adults and children over the age of ten. The air temperature is maintained at 72 degrees. You may wish to bring a sweater or light jacket.
